Should I do something else with Nurah? [Sword of Valor Spoilers]

[Charlie Brooks]

So I started running Sword of Valor today, and was quite happy that the players took to Aron, Sosiel, and Nurah immediately. They especially seemed to like Nurah, and this may or may not have been due to the image of a pony-riding hobbit giving a King Theoden style speech to the troops before battle.

The group discovered that Nurah had planted the drugs on Aron and interrogated her on the matter, but there was one problem: she wouldn't break. She stuck to her story, nobody was able to see through her bluffing, and she made all her saves against discern lies. There was evidence pointing to her being a traitor, but nothing concrete to really seal the deal.

The group then searched her and found the wand of modify memory with only four charges left in her gear. They began to formulate a theory that maybe somebody had used the wand on Nurah or even forced her to use it on herself. Nurah rolled with this and, when subjected to an attempt to restore her memories, "recalled" an encounter in which a succubus charmed her and forced her to infiltrate the army.

The group seems to have bought this story, and they've instituted a system where nobody in the army is without at least two other people nearby at all times. They've let Nurah remain with the group, but they've paired her with Anevia and Irabeth. This leaves me with a conundrum:

-I could just have Nurah slip off at some point and flee the army,

-I could have her remain as an infiltrator, although it seems like it's only a matter of time before Irabeth notices her casting undetectable alignment at the start of the day and/or catches a glimpse of her evil aura,

-I could have the fact that the group chose to trust her start her down toward a redemptive path, or

-I could toss out the traitorous background and roll with the idea that she was mind-whammied by a demon, complete with long-term implanted memories.

I'm looking for ideas and suggestions. Right now, every piece of evidence the group has points to the idea that she got controlled by a succubus and forced to act against the army. Theoretically, that's all just an elaborate lie on Nurah's part, but her interrogation took up a good chunk of the session and I'm not sure I want to make all that work for naught just because they didn't realize what a practiced liar she was.

Thoughts?

[Krinn]

I would make her escape, with forged evidence that demons were responsible for kidnapping her, so that when they finally face her in Drezen, she can still roll with it.

[Caius]

Go with what you think makes a better story for your players. All your options are valid so it's really what fits best with your game that matters.

[Charlie Brooks]

So, minor update on this - the pary's rogue convinced Nurah to place herself under house arrest so she can be kept under observation until everybody's sure her head is on straight. That means she's out of the party for the raid on Drezen, but there's still no commitment as to whether she's really mind-whammied or just a traitor.

So my options are still open to cook up something really cool down the road.

[Neil Spicer]

One Idea:

Spoiler:

You could make it so that Nurah initially plans on completely duping the party, especially after spinning such a believable lie. Yet, their continued concern for her well-being and genuine moves to try and keep her from harm might finally touch that one last point of light somewhere in her heart. Even as she slips away from her supposed house arrest, you could have her shadow them into Drezen anyway (primarily the citadel itself moreso than the city). At first, she'd plan on the ultimate betrayal. But, their care for her would continue to gnaw at her and she'd become less inclined to carry through with her plan. At some point, inside Citadel Drezen, the PCs should come across Nurah and one of her fiendish masters (Staunton, Chorussina, or Eustoyriax would be the logical choices). At that point, depending on how the PCs play out that encounter...either by attacking her outright or trying one last attempt to redeem her...should decide how she finally acts.

But that's just my two cents,
--Neil